A public R1 research university in West Lafayette, IN, admitting 49.87% of applicants with nationally ranked engineering programs and in-state tuition of $9,992.
West Lafayette, Indiana
Purdue University is a public R1 research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, founded in 1869. It enrolls 44,503 undergraduates and 13,839 graduate students across ten colleges and schools, including the College of Engineering, the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, the College of Agriculture, the College of Science, the College of Health and Human Sciences, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Pharmacy.
Engineering, computer science, business, agricultural sciences, and health sciences account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. Purdue holds a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity (R1) Carnegie classification and is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Purdue requires SAT or ACT scores for admission; test scores are a required part of the application for all first-year applicants. Purdue Promise provides full tuition coverage for Indiana residents from families earning up to $60,000 per year with no loan requirement for qualifying students.
Official website: purdue.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Purdue scores 85.96 overall, rated Strong. Value scores 90.78, driven by ten-year earnings of $72,424 relative to an average net price of $14,600. Outcomes (90.91) reflects an 83.10% six-year graduation rate and an 88.53% rate of graduates earning above the high school median at ten years. Affordability scores 40.46. All scores use verified federal data only.
Purdue admits 49.87% of applicants. Purdue requires SAT or ACT scores; test scores are a required component of the application and not optional. Students who apply typically average 1,364 on the SAT, with the middle 50% ACT range between 27 and 34. Purdue uses the Common App with a required short-answer response.
The priority deadline for most programs is November 1; the final application deadline is February 1. Applicants apply directly to a specific college; the College of Engineering and the CS program within the Polytechnic Institute are substantially more competitive than the overall admit rate suggests. Purdue's test-required policy is a notable differentiator from most peer institutions, which have adopted test-optional admissions.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Purdue University-Main Campus is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
For Indiana residents, Purdue charges $9,992 in tuition plus an estimated $12,820 in room and board, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $24,591 before aid. For out-of-state students, tuition is $28,794, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $44,000 before aid. The average net price across all enrolled students is $14,600. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $5,098. For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $6,241.
For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $18,177. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $22,742. Purdue Promise covers full tuition for Indiana residents from families earning up to $60,000 with no loan requirement for qualifying students. Purdue has held its in-state tuition flat or nearly flat for multiple years, making it one of the most affordable flagship engineering schools in the country.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $60 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Purdue completes the large majority of the students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 83.10% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. First-year retention stands at 92.36%. The federal loan rate of 22.45% and median debt of $19,500 are moderate for a flagship research university with significant out-of-state enrollment.
Purdue graduates earn above the national median for public research universities. Median earnings are $60,838 six years after first enrolling and $72,424 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 88.53% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. The earnings reflect Purdue's heavy concentration in engineering, computer science, and agricultural sciences, fields that produce above-market starting salaries in technology, manufacturing, and agribusiness.
College of Engineering graduates, particularly in mechanical, electrical, aeronautical, and chemical engineering, are heavily recruited by manufacturers, defense contractors, and technology companies across the country. Purdue's aeronautical engineering program and aviation technology programs have historically produced more astronauts than any other university; Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan were Purdue alumni.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Purdue enrolls 44,503 undergraduates in West Lafayette, Indiana, a college town of approximately 45,000 people in northwest-central Indiana. White students account for 54.01% of undergraduates; Asian 15.15%, Hispanic 7.50%, and Black 2.75%. Purdue has a large international student population: approximately 9.89% of students are non-resident aliens, reflecting the university's strength in engineering and science programs that attract global applicants.
Thirteen percent of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 18.54% are first-generation college students. West Lafayette is a college town without a major metropolitan economy; the Purdue Research Park and Discovery Park District on campus are major employers, and Indianapolis is approximately 65 miles to the south.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at Purdue University-Main Campus. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Purdue University-Main Campus offers an extensive catalog of programs: 275 distinct programs across 27 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Purdue operates at a student-to-faculty ratio consistent with large flagship universities. 96.09% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty, one of the highest rates among large research universities in this peer group. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $20,511 per year. The endowment stands at $3.97 billion.
Purdue's Discovery Park District is a large-scale research and innovation campus expansion that includes partnerships with major technology and manufacturing companies. The College of Engineering is consistently ranked among the top ten engineering schools at any public university in the country; Purdue's aeronautical, mechanical, and electrical engineering programs are particularly well-regarded.
1,819 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 800 | 44% | $166,699 |
| Associate Professors | 499 | 27% | $120,539 |
| Assistant Professors | 517 | 28% | $107,791 |
| Instructors | 3 | 0% | $58,660 |
Purdue's defining strengths are its 85.96 Strong UCD score, in-state tuition of $9,992 (among the lowest at any major engineering university in the country), a 96.09% full-time faculty rate, strong Value score of 90.78, and nationally ranked engineering and agricultural science programs. UCD 85.96 Strong.
The trade-offs: Purdue requires SAT or ACT scores (unlike nearly every peer institution, which is test-optional); West Lafayette is a college town without a major metropolitan job market; the 49.87% admit rate overstates how accessible engineering and CS are; and Pell grant participation of 12.98% is among the lower rates in this peer group. Best fit for Indiana residents and out-of-state students targeting engineering, CS, agricultural sciences, pharmacy, or aeronautical programs who can afford test prep and who want an engineering-focused flagship with strong career placement at lower than average cost.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about Purdue: why it requires test scores, how affordable the engineering programs are, what the campus experience is like in West Lafayette, and what graduates earn.
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